Birthing Legends: My Womb Creates SSS Monsters-Chapter 44: S-Rank Adventurer’s Party— Part 2.

The party approached the town of Oozewell, and even the stoic Zaun couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. From the city gates to the tavern shingles, everything seemed... unnervingly jiggly.

Lita, taking in the sights, muttered,

"I always forget how much this place obsessively adores those slimes."

"It’s efficient, Lita!"

Erwin replied, gesturing to the market stalls.

"Look at the variety! Slime core heaters, slime membrane raincoats, even Slime Gel Hair Wax for that ’all-day hold.’ They’ve turned the weakest monsters into a flourishing economy because they’re near a natural spawning ground. It’s a masterclass in resource management!"

As Erwin watched in fascination, Ed trembled at the endless jiggling.

"It’s... gross... EEKK!"

Gela patted his shoulder and cast a soothing skill to ease his discomfort.

"Oh, poor boy. Even the jiggle of the slimes triggers his entomophobia. Here, a little help to calm you."

Lita, holding a jar of "Slime Jam," wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Gosh... who ate this? Imagine spreading this on your bread... Blegh!"

They marched through the bouncy, slime decorated streets to the local Adventurer’s Guild Branch. The interior was filled with the smell of cheap ale and the rowdy boasts of low rank parties. As Erwin, Ed, and Zaun went to the counter to hand over the Hobgoblin ears and finalize their A rank quest, a conversation at a nearby corner table caught their ears.

"I’m telling ya, it’s gone!"

A scarred veteran slammed his mug down.

"The Suzerain Spider! I scouted the Area 2 South tunnels of Shellgrave Cave yesterday. The nest is empty! No webs, no eggs, no sword spiders, nothing!"

The other adventurer gasped, his eyes bulging.

"The Queen Spider?! That thing is an S rank nightmare! High rank parties stay clear of that cave because of those armies of weapon limb offspring. If someone killed it, they’d be the richest bastards in the kingdom. But there’s no report at the Guild. It just... vanished."

Suddenly, Litawas standing right at their table, leaning in so fast the men jumped back.

"Maybe it’s a Demon Lord!"

Lita declared, her eyes sparkling with a mix of conspiracy and madness.

"Maybe he’s moved in, renovated the cave, and ate the spider as a light snack!"

The man clutched his chest, spilling his ale and yelled,

"G-GAH! Where’d you come from?! And don’t be stupid, girl! The Demon Lord was slain ten years ago by the Hero’s Party. Everyone knows that!"

"Oh, really Then how do you explain the Mana Distortion emergency we just cleared near the Shellgrave?! Distortions happen when something powerful is drawing mana, or something monstrous is being born! It’s a neon sign for ’Evil Overlord Inside’!"

"Kid, calm down! Distortions happen naturally when mana accumulates. It doesn’t mean a Lord is back."

"THEN EXPLAIN THE SUZ-SUW—SUZAWAY—THAT SPIDER!"

Lita tripped over the word, her face turning red with frustration.

"The Su-Suzer-whatever! She’s gone! Poof! No claim, no body! How do you explain that, huh?!"

The men opened their mouths to rebut, but they had no answer. The silence was broken by a heavy, gauntleted hand landing on Lita’s shoulder. Erwin offered a polite nod.

"My apologies for the commotion, gentlemen."

The veteran’s eyes traced up the gold trimmed armor.

"No worries... these days girls are such fanatics about fighting, so—Wait... that armor... the Golden Hero!? No... that man is old now... so who is he... C-could it be?"

Before Erwin could even hear their thoughts, he had already scooped Lita up, hoisting her horizontally like a surfboard.

"Hey! Put me down! I wasn’t done! I had three more points about the spiritual resonance of caves!"

Lita wailed, her arms and legs flailing in the air like she was trying to fly as Erwin carried her away.

"You’ve done enough ’detective work’ for one day, Lita."

Erwin sighed, walking back toward Mirai, Leo, and Ren, who were already finished selling the goblin parts.

"I’m telling you, Erwin! Something is in that mountain!"

Erwin looked toward the Shellgrave peaks through the guild windows, his expression turning serious.

"The Suzerain vanishing without a report is irregular. If there’s a new predator in that mountain, it’s our duty to confirm it—not just spread rumors. And please, Lita..."

His voice softened, a rare change for Erwin, whose tone was usually sharp and high when scolding his party members.

"Talking about the Demon Lord casually is no joke... Ten years ago, our land almost ceased to exist. People lost families, Lita. Cities were erased. You don’t wish for that kind of nightmare again just to win an argument!"

For the first time, Lita saw the pain in Erwin’s eyes and finally fell silent. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"I... I apologize, Leader..."

Their conversation was cut short as a quest board attendant approached the central pillar. She hammered a fresh parchment onto the cork, and the crowd of lower-rank adventurers surged forward like a wave.

"Is it another distortion? Damn, I need money—I’ll take whatever it is!"

Gela elbowed her way through the throng with her party members trailing behind

"Step aside! Make way for the professionals!"

Erwin squinted at the paper, his eyes widening.

"This isn’t a subjugation quest. It’s... an investigation?"

One of the veterans muttered earlier, voice low.

"Area 3... As I expected. When that Suzerain Spider disappeared, something in that area was born. That Queen Spider wasn’t guarding the entrance to Area 3... she was protecting us from whatever is beneath."

The Guild Hall fell deathly silent. Every adventurer in the room felt a chill crawl down their spine. Ed broke it, gripping his magic musket tighter.

"S-Rank labeled... for a scouting mission? That means the Guild thinks something’s really there..."

Murmurs spread. Armor shifted. Someone swallowed audibly. Erwin felt it too, that creeping weight in the air but he refused to let it take root. He stepped forward sharply, boots striking the stone floor.

"That’s enough! You are all adventurers, the bearers of the flames of Primordial Prometheus!"

His voice boomed across the hall.

"We walk into the unknown so others don’t have to. We face what hides in the dark so the cities can sleep in peace! An investigation quest doesn’t mean doom—it means we gather information, we assess, we adapt!"

He swept his gaze across them, and his words set their frightened hearts ablaze with courage.

"If something was born in Area 3, then we’ll be the first to see it. If it’s a threat, we’ll measure it. And if it dares to crawl toward civilization..."

His voice dropped, heavy and resolute.

"Then we remind it why we—the Adventurers—exist!"